


and the band played waltzing matilda

by piggywrites



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: AC/DC References, Australia, Australian Liberation Front, Australian Slang, Gen, Historical References, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Omnic Racism, Post-Omnic Crisis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-21
Updated: 2019-04-21
Packaged: 2020-01-22 20:15:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18534706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piggywrites/pseuds/piggywrites
Summary: Australia, 2053.A young Mako Rutledge joins the Australian Liberation Front, fights for humanity, and kills the world.





	1. prologue.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everybody! Thank you for popping by to read this! 
> 
> I've been dying to write this fic- and honestly, I'm more than glad I got around to doing this!
> 
> Before we start, please note that _for this fic,_ I go with the following narrative:  
> The Australian government, in its attempt to bring peace and integrate Omnics into society, offered many opportunities and privileges that had been witheld from humans for many years. An important amount of public funding went into the program, and all this on top of the whole 'taking land from people to build an Omnium' business. Needless to say, the public opinion of Omnics is... divisive. The main victims of the consequences are of middle/lower class human demographics.
> 
> The fic's title is lifted from the well-known song of the same name. Feel free to [give it a listen](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cZqN1glz4JY)!
> 
> Other thing to note: I, myself, am not Australian. I just bother my aussie online friends so they can do some quality control on my writing. If you notice anything wrong or weird or whatever, that's why ;w; ALSO! English isn't my first language, so feel free to correct me if you notice mstakes!  
> Without further adieu, please enjoy your read! If you enjoyed this, please let me know ♥
> 
> \- [Piggy](https://twitter.com/piggylemonade)

Mama died yesterday.

Or perhaps it was last month- no, three months ago. More? Hell knows, Mako stopped counting.

Mama was dead, and that’s all he knew.

The void she had left behind her was impossible to fill. Her absence itself was unbearable. Mama was dead. Mama was gone.

All that was left behind were photographs and a tombstone.

_Here lies Kaia Rutledge, 2001-2052, wife, mother, friend._

The wind blew in the leaves of the gum trees. Dark brown eyes read over the epitaph over and over again. Mako still couldn’t believe it- it had been so long- it had been a _year_ , now that he read the numbers on the grave, only a year, though grief still gripped at his guts.

He’d get over it, wouldn’t he? Surely he would. Not now, no, not now-

The air was crisp. Cool. The month of May always made Mako snarl- with its cold air and its rain. He glanced up from his mother’s grave to witness the grey clouds above. It had already rained earlier that day, right before Mako had driven off to the cemetery. The darkness of the late autumn afternoon was enough of a sign to remind the young man to return home to his father.

Shoving his hands into the pockets of a worn-out jacket, he cast one last glance to the grave before he turned away. His throat was dry. He was hungry. He wondered if there was anything for dinner. Footsteps crunched the gravel of the pathway that led to the cemetery’s gates, stopping before them as Mako glanced at the cabin where the keeper usually stayed. He wasn’t there. His assistant _was-_ an Omnic. A mild-looking bot whose oculars glowed gently.

“The gate.”

Mako’s voice was gruff, low, but curiously vivacious. No _hello_ , no _please_ or _thank you_ \- bots didn’t need to be treated as peers. They were just there to do their job.  
  
Jobs, Mako figured, that could’ve been given to Humans. A graveyard keeper? What the Hell did bots know about death, anyway?

The Omnic flinched a little, clearly feeling the young man’s animosity. He simply nodded and pressed a button to open the gate.

Without another word, Mako walked out and found his motorbike waiting for him where he had previously left it.  
A large, calloused hand went over the dashboard, wiping away stray raindrops here and there before he hopped on and drove off.

Back to the place he called home.


	2. to steal a life.

_ “--the Australian Prime Minister, refuses to answer any questions regarding the current matter. In related news, the Omnium based in Alice Springs has been met with--” _

“You’re home late.” 

Mako glanced up as he walked into the living room of the house he and his father lived in. 

It was a small, homely place. A small house in a lower middle-class suburb like many others. There were clothes and tools strewn about, as Mako’s father had taken to fixing the old shelf that was in the corner of the room. In the back, there was a small hallway and a rickety flight of stairs.

Mako’s father was on the couch, a hand on the remote control, which he used to turn off the evening news. As soon as that was done, he turned back to look at his son. 

“Where were you?” 

“I went to see Mum.” 

The man’s lips twitched a little. Nervously. To think that even a year later, his son would so diligently go to his mother’s grave… 

“... Right,” he cleared his throat, rubbing the back of his neck. “You stayin’ for dinner?”

Mako looked over at his father- his helmet was still in his hands. Fingers tapping against the hard plastic of the helmet’s outer shell, he looked away, rolling a shoulder before he replied. 

“No.” 

Mako’s father looked disappointed, but not surprised. 

“I was gonna order pizza-” 

“I was gonna head back into town.” 

The older man looked up at his son’s face- a face that reminded him far too much of his late wife’s own. His face was much more stern than hers had been. One that was more rugged and masculine- but he had her eyes- her deep, hauntingly dark eyes.    
Rubbing the back of his neck, Mako’s father shrugged and gave him a tired look. He wanted to talk to him. He wanted to bond with his son the way he should have before his wife had left. He was at a loss. 

Mako walked into the room, still wearing his jacket. Still holding onto his helmet. His boots squeaked slightly as he stepped onto the living room’s floor. 

“... they got an Omnic as a gravekeep now.” 

“What?” 

Mako made a face, dropping his helmet into the living room’s couch before he went to take a seat.

“Remember how I tried to get that job? They said they weren’t hiring.” 

The older man raised a brow. He watched as Mako ran a hand through his long black hair. With a frown, he shook his head. 

“Mako…”

“So it’s not like I’m not lookin’ for a job. They’re just not hiring  _ people  _ anymore.”

Mako glared into nothing for a moment. Eyes on the turned-off television screen, he hunched over and groaned. 

“... I know you’re tryin’,” his father replied after a moment. “Finding a job was already hard back in my day, you know?”    
Mako let out a humourless laugh. Right. His father’s generation didn’t have to compete with  _ bots _ . What did  _ he  _ know?    
“You can’t just… sit around and do nothing. It’s not good for you- even with Mum gone-”

“And  _ why  _ is Mum gone?” 

“Mako-” 

The younger man got back up from his seat, towering over his father with an angry look on his face. Clenching his teeth, he held back any poison that threatened to spill from his lips.    
He picked up his helmet again, ready to leave despite sitting down a few seconds ago- the conversation, as short as it had been, was already turning sour. 

“Mako,” the older man called out, nervously fidgeting with his wedding ring as he looked over his son. “... You’re gonna go to the pub again.” 

“Dad-” Mako sighed. “I’m an adult. I can go drink a few pints and come home just fine.” 

“On a motorbike?” 

“Yeah. What else?”

A shake of the head was all Mako got in response. It irritated him. It angered him, even.    
He held up a hand as though to stop his father from saying anything more. He knew. He knew the risks, he knew what it entailed. He knew . 

“Just send me a text if you’re too drunk to drive back home.” 

***

The drive to the pub was a quick one. Mako often went over the speed limit when he was in a sour mood- the thrill of the ride would make him feel… at peace. Somewhat. It was enough to calm him. To take off the edge and distract him- besides, he was going to Armie’s. 

Armie’s was a pub in town Mako had gone to for years- ever since he was in his last year of school. He had barely been freed of his uniform when he had his first real pint. Everybody knew him. Everybody knew Mako.    
The pub played old hits by bands of glories long past. All of them had died by the turn of the twenty-first century… But their music lived on. It always would. Mako would have killed to have been born a few decades earlier- 

The gritty guitar riff of AC/DC’s Back in Black blared from the speakers as Mako entered the pub. Hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket, he sauntered in, already feeling his mood improve nothing but by being there. The music, the low, warm lights, the stench of beer, sweat, and old, wet wood… There was nothing else that could make him feel better in these trying times.

Pulling out some notes from his worn-out wallet, Mako slid them across the bar to Lisa, the barkeep- a human girl. A damn sweet one.

That was what Mako liked about this bar. It was all-human. Not a single bot in sight. That’s all that mattered. 

Lisa took the notes and grinned at Mako, already filling up a hefty pint of beer for him as she spoke to him, leaning over so he’d be able to hear her over the music. 

“You’re early, mate.” 

Mako shrugged, hopping on a bar stool before he replied. 

“Izzat something you’re gonna complain about?” 

Lisa laughed, handing him his pint before she crossed her arms on the counter, still leaning over it. She had those newfangled glowing tattoos up her arms and LED piercings- Mako found them ridiculous, but he supposed not everyone was as old-fashioned as he was. 

Lisa went on to wash some glasses, nimble hands working at their task as she replied. 

“You here for the meet-up?” 

“What meet-up?” 

She grinned, nodding over to the stairs that led down to the basement. 

“I’d ‘a thought you’d be all over the bloke who’s speaking tonight.” 

“What is he? Some bullshit slam poet or-”

“Nah!” Lisa cut him off, glancing back at the door, from which came in a small group of people. She grinned and nodded to them as a quick greeting before she thumbed over to the staircase once again. The new patrons thanked her, and then made their way down, chattering loudly- though not loud enough for Mako to understand what it was they were saying. 

He turned back to the barkeep. 

“What’s going on, then?” 

“... You ever ‘eard ‘a ‘ _ Eulogy for Mankind _ ’?” 

Mako rose a brow. 

He had heard of it, yes. It was a manifesto that could be found online. Two hundred and fifty pages of political schlock Mako had heard of but never read beyond the first chapter.  _ Eulogy for Mankind _ was a cautionary tale of what would come should Omnics take over, as well as a gut-wrenching recount of what the Australian government had done to enable the Omnic population. Privileges granted to machines. Taken from Humans. And for what? 

Mako took a gulp of his beer and looked back to Lisa, nodding. 

Lisa grinned and motioned for him to, perhaps, have a gander at what was going on downstairs. 

His curiosity was piqued, to say the least. 

“You can take your beer down,” Lisa told him. He took the invitation and got up. 

The basement of Armie’s pub was usually used for local bands and gigs and whatnot. Never had Mako expected it to be used for anything else- as his heavy steps made the wooden steps creak, he could already hear the voices of young men and women clamouring in the dark, neon-lit room. He could barely hear the sound of the pub’s heavy metal playlist upstairs as he came down into the small crowd. He towered over most patrons, shouldering his way to have a better look at what was going on on the small wooden stage, lit up by a worn-out light- 

Up there, Mako saw, was a young man who seemed to be about his age, maybe a little older. He stood proudly and confidently, clearly used to speaking in public, to crowds like these- and everybody listened. He was charismatic. Handsome. 

Mako wasn’t impressed. 

He seemed to be your run-of-the-mill white bloke with a loud voice and a million dollar smile- it was only when he actually listened to what he had to say that he became just as captivated at the others around. Interested.

“This is what I mean when I say that the government doesn’t care about anybody-“ the young man called out to the crowd, waving a hand for emphasis, punctuating his words with each movement. He spoke loudly, refusing to use one of the mics the pub had for musicians. Mako wondered why. He spoke again. 

“One’s gotta ask-  _ why  _ are bots given all ‘a these privileges? Why, when we as humans are already suffering from inequalities that have only barely tended to in the last few decades?” He called out, receiving an approving rouse of hums and agreements. “Our indigenous populations have only barely received actual personhood from those above us. Rich folk. Suits. You know the type. And don’t get me started-“ he laughed, “People of all walks ‘a life are out here suffering! And what does the government do? They take from public funding to build facilities and infrastructures to better Omnic lives! What about  _ our _ lives?” 

The man on stage ran a hand through his dark hair, grinning bitterly as he spoke. The crowd below hollered and clapped. Mako looked around, then back up at the stage. He had a point. He knew what he was talking about. 

“Education. Culture.  _ Healthcare _ . Things that matter to us as humans! Where did the funding go? Schools have closed down. Hospitals are lacking service- and they’re replacing us. The bots are replacing us!

“They’re stealing our jobs, our homes, our lives! The lower classes suffer. The middle classes suffer.  _ We _ suffer! And  _ Omnics _ profit!” 

The crowd clamoured again at the venom that the man was spitting- as for them he was saying nothing but the truth. And Mako, naturally, agreed. 

He knew. He had experienced it first hand. His own unemployment. His mother’s passing. Both those things were tangentially the Omnics’ fault. If they didn’t come and take everything that humans like him were due… He’d have a job. He’d have a life. He’d still have his mother. 

“— and this is why we need to fight back. This is why we, as humans, need to fight for our humanity to be respected. The suits out there are expecting us to look a machine in the oculars and call it a brother. After a war in which these same machines tried to kill us! And who’s gonna help us? Our government? The U.N.? Organisations like  _ Overwatch _ ? No!   
So we gotta band together- we gotta make our voices heard. To fight for humanity- for  _ mankind _ ! A better life for the future generations of Australians! It won’t be an easy fight but…” 

He came to the front of the stage, hands out like a preacher. He wanted something. Mako wanted it as well. He looked up to him, and he waited for him to conclude. The young man hopped off the stage to join the small crowd that had gathered around him before he spoke again. Loudly. Proudly. Confidently. 

“We’re building up a Front. A group of humans bold enough to push back against what’s forced upon us. We got members all over the country, you see- we needs all sorts ‘a people from all walks ‘a life! And we need big blokes like you-“ 

He pointed to Mako who blinked down on him. Dark eyes meeting the speaker’s brilliant blue-green ones. He grinned and nudged Mako in the chest in a friendly manner. He laughed. Mako grinned nervously. The other man turned away to speak once again. 

“We are the Australian Liberation Front. We fight for humanity. We need you to support us.” 

As he concluded, the crowd applauded, though it seemed not everybody was receptive as they had been at first. Being angry was one thing. Acting upon said anger was something else entirely. 

Mako just stared at the man who had spoken to them all and brought his beer to his lips, taking a gulp before he looked around. Some people had left the room, but most hung around to discuss what they had just witnessed. 

Omnics had always been a hot topic to touch on- the concept of equality, actual rights, and government grants for them was almost unanimously despised among humans who had suffered from the consequences of the Crisis. Debates clearly were to be had on the subject. 

The speaker grinned and sat back on the stage, staying there as people came up to him and asked questions. He had a trunk at his feet filled with what seemed to be books- the infamous Eulogy for Man, perhaps? Mako wasn’t sure what to make of it. It smelled like a scam. 

Mako nodded to himself. Well. At least the speech had been thrilling- now was the time for him to go back, wasn’t it?    
As he stepped back to find his way back upstairs, however, he heard a voice calling to him. 

“Hey-  _ you _ ! Big guy!” 

Mako furrowed his brows slightly and turned around curiously. The lighter patter of the speaker’s feet against the stone floor of the basement followed after him. 

“Me?” 

“No, the Pope. Of course  _ you _ .” The shorter man joked, holding out a hand for Mako to shake. “You arrived half-way through my speech, mate.”

Mako looked down at the hand curiously before he took it, shaking it awkwardly- but the other man replied with vigor. Pulling away, he motioned to Mako’s empty pint of beer. 

“Lemme get you a drink,” he offered, placing a hand on Mako’s shoulder and steering him back to the stage and the seats he and people who seemed to be his associates sat at. 

Mako blinked a little and looked down at his empty glass. He couldn’t say no to a free drink, could he? Not in these trying time. 

He followed. 

“You got a name, mate?” the speaker asked, nodding up at him as he sat on the stage, next to the trunk of books. He picked one up. 

“... Mako.”

“Well, Mako, how’d you feel about Omnics?” 

The shorter man looked up to Mako with a grin, drumming his fingers on the book he had picked up. His associates, who were chugging beers at a booth in the corner of the stage, watched him and Mako intently.    
He wasn’t sure how to feel about that. Running a hand through his long hair and rubbing his neck, Mako replied. 

“Can’t say I’m a fan. What’s with the books? You selling them?” 

“These? Not really. We’re handing them out for free-”

“We accept donations though!” called one of the women who sat at the booth. The others laughed. The speaker rolled his eyes and grinned, handing the book to Mako. 

The cover read  _ Eulogy for Mankind, a humanist manifesto by Andrew Costello _ .

“So you’re not-selling books for this Costello bastard.” Mako snarked with a faint, mocking grin on his lips. The other man blinked, then shook his head and chuckled. 

“You’re talking to  _ this Costello bastard _ ,” he replied, holding a hand up. “Andrew Costello himself. At your service. Call me Ando, though.” 

Mako looked up and blinked. He wouldn’t have expected the manifesto to be written by someone… so young, to say the least. Someone so outgoing. someone who would hands-on take care of all  _ this _ . 

Andrew spoke again. 

“You seemed interested.” 

“Everybody did,” Mako replied, rubbing the back of his neck. Andrew shook his head. 

“You know, I do a lotta these evenings- public speaking and whatnot. I gotta do it in bars and stuff ‘cause they won’t let me talk at universities anymore!” 

“You went to uni?” 

Andrew nodded. 

“Melbourne. Political science.”

At those words, Mako could hardly suppress the visible cringe on his face. A posh bastard, was he? Andrew was quick to defend himself, however. 

“I know what you’re thinking, mate. I swear I’m not all that bad,” he laughed, shaking his head. “... if anything, the years I spent studying there taught me that the most of the people I studied with were all rotten to the core. I wanna use my knowledge to help people,” he insisted, a hand over his heart. 

Mako looked back down and shrugged, still holding Andrew’s book in his hand- he observed it, flipping a few pages, reading the back cover. 

“You know,” Andrew continued, “I almost lost my scholarship over that book. Actually, I did. But I don’t regret it. I see where we’re headed with this whole… Omnic rights stuff. And I know who’s gonna get the short end of the stick. It’s people like you and me.” He concluded before he picked up a bottle of beer he had close to the trunk of books and handed it to Mako. 

Mako took the bottle immediately. He had a feeling the posh Melbourne University student was onto something- he was right about many things. His speech had struck him as frighteningly genuine... Mako was just curious to see where he would take this. 

“... so you came here to recruit people for your movement.” 

Andrew nodded. 

Mako used the edge of the stage to open his bottle, then brought it to his lips, took a gulp, and then continued. 

“Why this town? Why us?” 

Andrew looked away for a moment and took his book from Mako’s hand, flipping it open to a chapter titled ‘ _ Exodus _ ’. Mako initially wanted to chuckle at Andrew’s obvious taste for theatrics, but refrained from doing so. 

“In November 2051, in an effort to bring peace between humans and Omnics, the Australian government gifted the Omnics the land surrounding Alice Springs, Northern Territory, for them to build an Omnium.” Andrew read out loud. He closed his book and handed it back to Mako, looking up at his eyes intently. “Entire small towns have been displaced. Solar farmers lost their land. Indigenous populations who had lived in those areas for decades were kicked out- for  _ bots _ to build their baby-maker.” He laughed bitterly. “And where did those people all go?” 

“They came here.” Mako replied in a quiet mutter. He understood what this guy was getting at. He understood it too well. Andrew nodded.

“I wanna give these people hope. I wanna help them get their homes back. I want a better life for people like us. And for that, we gotta fight.” 

Mako blinked as Andrew spoke. He took another sip of his beer, looking down thoughtfully. He wondered… he wondered what this guy thought of him. He wondered what his deal was. He wondered what the  _ fight _ was all about. 

“And you want me?” 

Andrew laughed, cracking open a beer of his own. He nodded vigorously. 

“I wasn’t jokin’ when I said we needed big blokes like you in our ranks. Whaddya do for a living?” 

Mako furrowed his brows at the question, bit eventually replied. 

“I don’t… do anything,” he replied lowly, looking away. “I used to work as a mechanic- and I worked as a bouncer for some seedy club the next town over. I lost both jobs when me Mum passed last year.” 

Andrew nodded, listening intently. He gulped when Mako mentioned his mother’s passing. For an instant, it was as though the world stopped spinning- an awkward silence settling between the two men before Andrew spoke again. 

“My most sincere condolences,” he told him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry for your loss.” 

Mako looked at Andrew’s hand. He sighed and replied. 

“Don’t be. I gotta carry that weight myself.” 

“... How’d she die?” Andrew asked rather bluntly. 

The words he spoke felt like a spear through the chest. It was painful- obviously so. He still hadn’t come around to grieving the way he should have. Her absence hurt. It still hurt. He could barely contain the anger that swilled within him, that tainted his words as he replied. 

“... she was sick. She… couldn’t be treated. Remember when there was a crisis a while ago? Medication was scarce. And-“ he clenched his jaw “The prices went up, anyway. It’s like they’re trying to kill us. And they did.” 

Andrew frowned and looked away. Holding his hands together as he nodded understandingly. 

“That’s around the time the Omnic Integration Program was put into motion, wasn’t it?”    
Mako gave a nod. Andrew’s hand on his shoulder tightened its grip.    
“... This is their fault. This is all the Omnics’ fault,” he assured. 

Mako’s hands were shaking. He couldn't believe it. Andrew was right. He only confirmed what he had believed all this time. 

It felt good. He felt vindicated. 

Mako ran a hand through his hair and gulped down his beer, finishing the bottle before he stood back up. 

“Thanks. For the beer. I should get home.”

“Mako-  _ Mako, right? _ Wait a sec-“

The shorter man got up as well, shoving his hand back into his pocket to pull out what seemed to be a simple business card. 

“Do you want to join us?” He called to him. “Do you wanna fight alongside the Australian Liberation Front?” 

Mako stopped himself and turned back to look down on Andrew. Those words… he wondered when he’d hear them. Lips pursed, he considered it- he hesitated. Andrew noticed. 

“... We’ll be in town for another day. We’re going south, after that. In any case, you got my info right there,” he said quickly, seeming slightly out of breath. Mako looked up and took the card, deep brown eyes meeting Andrew’s sea-like gaze.    
“We need blokes like you. We do,” he insisted before he pulled back “You can make a difference… Just think about it, alright?”

Mako stared at the card before he pocketed it. Then, he turned away without a word, walked up the stairs, then out the bar without even casting a glance back at Lisa. 

He needed to have time for himself. To focus. To think. To believe. 

To hope. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey there! Thank you for reading this far! I'll try to update this fic as soon as I can! 
> 
> I was so excited to post this chapter that I didn't take the time to illustrate it... so trust that I'll edit it soon!  
> Anyway! Please tell me what you think! I'm really curious to know if people enjoy this kinda stuff ;w; 
> 
> Alson follow me on Twitter! https://twitter.com/citroncynique
> 
> See you around! 
> 
> -Piggy


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